Articles of Confederation

A large central government States didn’t have to follow
that had absolute power
federal laws and treaties
Having to follow British
legislation

States had their own laws
and didn’t have to follow
other states’ laws

Lots of power was in the
king’s hands

No executive branch or
national court system

The king could change

Any amendment required

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What was the Problem?
• Since the federal government could not
tax, it was very difficult to raise money
• Since states didn’t have to follow laws and
treaties, the federal government had no
assurance that individual states would
follow them
• Each state had its own laws, which made it
difficult for the country to act in a united
way. Congress couldn’t pay back debts
from the revolution and couldn’t get states
to work together to encourage commerce.

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What was the Problem?
• Since there was no executive branch, the
government could not defend its borders.
• Since there was no executive branch and
national court system, the government
could not enforce its laws
• Any amendment required all 13 states’
approval, so the AoC was very difficult to
modify
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